Shockers and awe: Wichita State in Final Four

Wichita State players react to a field goal scored against Ohio State during the second half of the West Regional final in the NCAA men's college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 30, 2013, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
— AP

Wichita State players react to a field goal scored against Ohio State during the second half of the West Regional final in the NCAA men's college basketball tournament, Saturday, March 30, 2013, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
/ AP

LOS ANGELES  “Hopefully,” forward Cleanthony Early was saying, standing at midcourt in Staples Center between two baskets that no longer had nets, “people will know who Carl Hall is now.

“Hopefully they’ll know who Cleanthony Early is, and Malcolm Armstead and Tekele Cotton and Fred VanVleet and Demetric Williams and Ehimen Orukpe and Chadrick Lufile and Ron Baker. Maybe they’ll know who we are now.

“Maybe they’ll know what a wheat shocker is, too.”

Wichita State, clearly, is not in Kansas any more.

The ninth-seeded Shockers are headed to Atlanta, to the Final Four, crashing an exclusive party that otherwise will be attended by college basketball blue bloods – Syracuse plus Louisville or Duke, Florida or Michigan – after Saturday’s wild 70-66 victory against No. 2 Ohio State in the NCAA Tournament’s West Region final.

The last time a team from the Missouri Valley Conference did: 1979 (Indiana State and Larry Bird).

The last time a No. 9 seed won it all: never.

This is a Wichita State team that less than two months ago was losing back-to-back-to-back games against Indiana State, Northern Iowa and Southern Illinois. That closed the regular season 5-5. That struggled through one injury after another. That lost the five leading scorers off last year’s roster.

And that midway through the second half Saturday led by 20 against an Ohio State team on an 11-game win streak.

Then Early, who had eight points in the opening eight minutes and had frustrated Ohio State star Deshaun Thomas into a 4-of-13 first half, rolled an ankle and disappeared into the locker room after writhing on the court for several minutes. The Buckeyes extended their defense full court and suddenly the kids from the heartland were about to fall off the grain elevator.

The score with 11 minutes to go: 56-36.

The score with 2:48 to go: 62-59.

Wichita State had the ball up 65-61 with the clock inside two minutes and the shot clock near zero when VanVleet missed a 3-pointer. The rebound bounced to the right, where Cotton, a 6-foot-2 sophomore guard from Marietta, Ga., battled for the ball with 6-8 LaQuinton Ross.

Cotton got it. The shot clock reset.

It was Wichita State basketball: nutshell version.

“A huge, athletic play by a real tough kid who makes those kinds of plays,” Marshall said. “Tekele is a warrior. He’s a free safety. He’s a strong safety, whatever you want to call it, a guy who comes up in run support.”

The Shockers (30-8) ran down the shot clock again and VanVleet, a true freshman, lofted a floater in the lane. It bounced on the rim once, twice, three times, and in – 67-61, inside a minute to go.

“My guys made plays at the end, which they have been able to do a great majority of the season,” Marshall said. “They just find a way.”